


ri-chan!

by sugacookiies



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Childhood Friends, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Highschool AU, Pre-Time Skip
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:47:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28855329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugacookiies/pseuds/sugacookiies
Summary: miya atsumu thinks that he’s slick. well, to the majority of the school population, this fact proves to be true. but not to you, at least, childhood friend and crush of the blonde himself.however, atsumu’s made up his mind! by the end of your last year in highschool together, he’s sworn to make you fall in love with him — absolutely, irrevocably, head-over-heels in love with him.or that’s his plan, anyways.
Relationships: Miya Atsumu/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 32





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [strawberricream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberricream/gifts).
  * Inspired by [lovestruck, watching over you](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26433016) by [strawberricream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberricream/pseuds/strawberricream). 



> 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 - it’s been a while since i’ve written anything, so i hope everyone will enjoy this :-) risa is one of my favourite writers and loveliest friends. this will be updated every day or so when i’m done writing each chapter. masterlist will be under the cut!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: @tokyosdawn @reddriot @crescentsteel

“tsumu! why did ya have to spike so hard!” 

“not my fault ya weren’t able to receive it, stupid.”

“don’t call me stupid, i’ll tell ma and ya won’t be able ta eat ice cream this weekend!”

the twins bicker outside the gate of their neighbour’s house. while playing volleyball, atsumu had spiked the ball with extra strength in an attempt to show off who the real star player was between them. unfortunately for him, things hadn’t worked out quite as planned. 

“ya should be the one going in.”

“no, yer the one that made the problem, dummy.”

they fall quiet, gazing forlornly at the striped volleyball stuck in their neighbour’s tree. 

“maybe we should just ask ma to get us another one?”

“she’ll deduct it from our allowance.”

suddenly, the quiet pitter patter of footsteps grow louder as they approach the gate. two eyes peek through the wooden slates and the twins jump back in shock.

“gah! who’re ya!” atsumu cries out. 

the eyes blink owlishly, curiously peeking at them. 

“shouldn’t i be the one asking ya that?” they challenge. 

osamu clears his throat. “our volleyball got stuck in yer tree. could ya help us get it down?” 

the eyes blink again. 

“only if ya let me play, too.”

“yeah, sure, just get us the ball already!” atsumu whines. 

the stranger’s eyes disappear from the gap and the twins listen to the scraping of a pole across the ground. grabbing the stick your grandma uses to hang the laundry, you heave it up with a huff and shove it up into the tree. desperately, you wiggle it about the best you can. 

“ya almost got it!” osamu cheers.

the ball falls as the stick hits it in the right spot, and the twins watch it fall to the ground with a weird yelp.

“balls don’t make those sounds, do they?” atsumu asks. 

“it probably fell on their head, idiot.”

you clamber to your feet and hurry to unlock the side gate. pushing it open, you emerge with the volleyball tucked under your arm. 

“let’s go play together now!” 

your eyes are wide and sparkle with anticipation. the plastic cherry bobble that holds back your hair glistens in the morning sunlight. 

you; cherry red ‘ri-chan’.


	2. step two - the extra onigiri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: @reddriot

sakura petals flutter from tree branches, swirling gently in the wind before falling to the ground in droves of light pink. spring came late this year, meaning that classes began during the dreary grays of winter. 

miya atsumu didn’t like that. 

firstly, it messed up step one of his very, very important ‘absolute plan to make ri-chan fall in love with me!!!!!!!!!’. he had wanted to take you out on a hanami picnic with yummy food made by osamu (without him actually being there, of course), but homework and studying had already filled up your free time on weekends.

atsumu struggles to pay attention in class, bouncing his thigh and ruffling his hair as muttered grumbles escape his lips. mathematics has never really been his strong suit, despite how much tutoring he had gone through thanks to you. 

osamu glances over at him. the twins meet eyes, and atsumu narrows his own in frustration. osamu flicks his gaze to you.

atsumu gulps, knee coming to a still as he watches you zoning out.

you’re seated by the windows, where the sakura trees surrounding the school can be seen. you have your chin resting on your palm. clearly, you’re not paying attention to class either. the red bobble that holds your hair back glistens in the morning sunlight while you squint at the warm rays that are just beginning to warm the cool air outside.

“…and that’s all for today’s class.”

as if right on cue, the school bell rings, signalling the end of your mathematics lesson and the start of lunch time. chairs scrape against linoleum floors as students thank the teacher for their lesson, before the classroom bursts into a flurry of activity.

usually, the twins would have brought their own bento boxes while you occasionally purchased something from the canteen downstairs. today was one of those days. rifling through your bag for your coin purse, you tried to decide what would be a good choice for that day. 

yakisoba bread? udon? how about saba fish and some miso soup?

“ri-chan!” atsumu calls out cheerfully.

holding your coin purse in hand, you look up to see the blonde waving you over to his desk. frankly speaking, you had no clue why your homeroom teachers had decided seating the twins next to each other was a good idea. 

you weave through tables and soon arrive by atsumu’s table. osamu’s too busy stuffing his mouth full of food to acknowledge you, but you give him a wave anyways. you cock your head to the side in question. 

“did ya bring yer lunch today?” atsumu asks. 

you shake your head. grandma’s hands hurt more these days, and it’s difficult for her to even cook simple meals for herself. you try not to think about her fingers, all painfully curled up like chicken claws. 

“well, ri-chan… i, the ever amazing, one and only, miya atsumu, have decided to bless you with this-”

atsumu sticks his hand into his bag to search for something, before his face drops. you blink in confusion. 

“what do ya have for me, tsumu?” you question.

“samu, ya didn’t…” atsumu turns to face his twin. 

osamu chews slowly and wipes some sauce off of the corner of his mouth before swallowing. 

“what?” 

“ya didn’t eat that tuna onigiri i bought this morning, right?”

“oh, ya mean that special edition one? yeah, i ate it, but i-”

osamu doesn’t get to complete his sentence as atsumu hurls his textbook right into his face. with a gasp, you take a step back and the twins jump at each other. the class has grown used to their antics, so most of them block the commotion out and continue with their lunch. 

“what was that for! i’m just trying ta eat!” osamu yells.

“i was gonna give that ‘giri to ri-chan, ya dumbass! ya should’ve know!”

“how would i have known if ya didn’t tell me!” 

“tsumu, really, it’s fine! i’ll just go buy something… don’t fight, samu!” you grab onto atsumu’s sleeve and try to tug him away from osamu. 

atsumu slows to a stop, chest heaving and eyes still staring daggers into osamu. he shoves atsumu off of him and sits back down heavily into his seat, muttering curses at him as he returns to his bento. 

“freakin’ asshole…” 

“come on, tsumu. it’s not that big of a deal. let’s just go buy something together,” you soothe, patting down his ruffled uniform. 

atsumu quietens down at your soft and gentle touches. your fingers graze over his chest, and he’s almost sure you might be able to feel his pulsing heart through the thin material. 

“ya okay, samu?” you peek over atsumu’s shoulder and receive a nod from him. 

why did you have to ask osamu and not him? atsumu pulls you out of the classroom, practically shoving you towards the canteen. 

“let’s go already, no need to care about him.”

“he’s yer brother, tsumu.”

he falls quiet and shoves his hands into his pockets, stalking down the corridor. your hand rests against his arm again briefly. 

“don’t be angry,” you say softly.

atsumu holds his breath, before letting it out heavily. if there’s one thing he does better than setting, it’s listening to you. to you, only you.

“let’s get some tuna ‘giri.”

“sure, tsumu.”


	3. step three - spring interhigh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: @reddriot

losing to karasuno wasn’t pleasant.

sure, hinata shouyou had been interesting to play against, but atsumu’s nasty streak of competitiveness is weighing him down. 

“tsumu, we’re having dinner soon,” osamu calls, popping his head into their shared room.

the school had kindly sponsored a mid-range inn for the volleyball team to stay at, so every four members shared a small room together. the futons are comfortable and the indoor hot springs relaxing, but atsumu isn’t paying attention to any of that.

“tsumu,” osamu tries again. “ya hear me?”

atsumu lets out a noise akin to an animal groaning before its death. osamu rolls his eyes, and the door slams shut after. the sound of his footsteps grows softer as he heads towards the dining hall.

atsumu’s pillow is damp with tears of frustration. he moans again into the soft material, before kicking his feet and pounding the floor with his fists. 

“stupid... freakin’... squirts…” atsumu sniffles and wipes at his eyes with his forearm. 

crying’s dumb. _he_ is dumb. step three on his list was to impress you by coming in first in the spring interhigh this year. clearly, things hadn’t worked out so well. 

atsumu honks his nose into a tissue. the thought of you never falling in love with him makes his chest clench up, and puts a pit in his stomach. he reaches for his phone.

[ you have one (1) text message from ri-chan ]

>> (18:45) how are ya, tsumu? can i call ya? (･θ･)

<< (19.:01) im okay, dont worry too much \\( ˙▿˙ )/\\( ˙▿˙ )/

>> (19:02) tsumu!

>> (19:02) im sure ya worked super hard today, dont beat urself up too much about it ٩(๑･ิᴗ･ิ)۶٩(･ิᴗ･ิ๑)۶

>> (19:02) we can go eat smth yummy when ya come back home, take care ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

atsumu rolls over and muffles his scream into the pillow. do you know the effect you have on him? he makes a mental note to brag about the little heart emoji to osamu later. 

<< (19:03) ur the best

<< (19:03) see ya soon (｡- ω -) 

atsumu splashes his face with cool water and runs down to the dining hall.

“samu! where’s my food?” he hollers, making the other guests look at him strangely. 

osamu refuses to acknowledge him and continues eating, shovelling mouthfuls of rice and seasonal specials into his mouth. soon, atsumu plonks down next to osamu with an even bigger bowl of rice than him and begins to eat.

“can’t ya ever eat normally like other people?” ojiro squints as unchewed rice and spittle flies out of the twins’ mouths. 

osamu looks over at atsumu, who consumes his bowl of miso soup in one gulp. he looks back at ojiro. he shrugs. 

“looks like someone’s fine with losing, though,” he quips.

“hey!” atsumu yells, soup dribbling down the side of his mouth. 

osamu smiles.

“what’re ya laughing at me, samu?” 

“shut up, i’m not.”

“don’t lie.”

“i’m not, now eat yer rice before i finish it for ya.” 


	4. step four - study date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: @reddriot

it was just supposed to be the two of you, so why did suna and osamu have to turn up too? 

“ri, do you have any cold drinks?” suna asks, fanning himself with his science worksheet. 

_have some manners, would ya!_ atsumu thinks, wanting to pummel the male in the face. being in your room is an honour and here’s suna, acting as if this is his second home.

your grandma had greeted everyone cheerily, offering so many snacks and drinks that even osamu was spoilt for choice. you had to tell her the three of them couldn’t eat so much, despite her protests that they were ‘still handsome, growing young men’.

* * *

“mhm, is barley tea okay?” you chirp.

“yeah, thanks ri.” suna smiles and you leave your room to fetch the jug and some cups.

the room’s nothing special, having basic necessities and some decorations that make things more homely. atsumu’s favourite is a photograph of the two of you, both holding crimson candy apples and shooting gummy grins at the camera. it’s framed and placed on your dresser, the only photograph without osamu’s ugly face.

suna looks over at osamu, before shifting his gaze to atsumu.

“what?” he quirks an eyebrow in question.

suna and osamu begin to laugh, pointing their fingers at atsumu while leaving him completely confused.

“what ya laughing at, bastards! ain’tcha have better things to do, like studyin’?” atsumu yells, cheeks turning red from embarrassment. 

“tsumu, yer emotions are all on ya face, yknow.”

“get a room with ri already, loser.”

“who’s getting a room with me?” you ask, pushing the door open with your shoulder.

atsumu leaps up to grab the tray from you, lips forming a straight line while the tips of his ears grow red. “nothin’, don’t listen to them. all they talk ‘bout is bullshit, ri-chan.”

suna chuckles behind his hand and osamu has to smack him on the back before he can sip his tea properly. atsumu downs his cup in one gulp, hoping that it’ll cool the warmth on his cheeks.

“tsumu, ya look like a tomato,” you innocently observe. “should i fetch the thermometer?”

“n-no! no way i’m sick… it’s just a little warm. the tea helped, so don’t worry,” atsumu stammers.

the studying begins way later than planned, but soon all notebooks are opened and pencils scribble across paper. atsumu looks over at your notes. your handwriting is cute, with colourful highlighted portions standing out amongst the rest. 

you turn to face him, and atsumu feels his throat constrict. a thousand thoughts run through his head at that moment. his heartbeat quickens and he nods numbly as your lips move, not registering whatever words you say.

_he loves you._

“...tsumu?”

“h-huh? yeah?”

“could ya lend me your textbook? i need it to finish up this question,” you say as you point to the required material.

atsumu fumbles for it and hands it to you, glaring at suna and osamu as they struggle to keep their laughs in. he tries not to think too much about how your fingers brush against his when you take the book, and the cute ‘thanks!’ you give him. 

atsumu swallows drily as his heart pounds in his chest. 

suna mouths ‘loser’ over at him, but atsumu doesn’t care. he sits upright and focuses on his practice questions, knowing that him doing badly in exams will only make you upset. 

and atsumu has sworn that he will never, ever make you sad.


	5. other plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: @reddriot   
> 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: death of grandmother

you had brought the news to atsumu and osamu in the middle of the night, eyes wide and hands shaking as you stumbled over your words. their parents had kindly alerted the authorities and made some arrangements for you, given how the situation was entirely unexpected.

atsumu stands behind you as you offer incense to your grandmother’s casket. a framed photograph of her is propped up with white chrysanthemums and candles surrounding it. you bow towards the casket, before sticking the incense into an urn.

there aren't many people at the funeral, considering that your family is spread throughout different prefectures. atsumu, osamu, and the few other guests return to mingle in small groups after following your actions.

atsumu looks for your bowed head amongst everyone else. he spots you fleeing to the bathroom and attempts to follow, but osamu grabs his arm. 

“don’t,” he murmurs. 

atsumu tugs on his arm but his brother holds on even tighter still.

“not now,” osamu urges, and only then does atsumu relent. 

he balls his fists up and grits his teeth together. it shouldn’t have happened, not now, not while you were alone and unprepared and with so many responsibilities. he should have been there to comfort you when it all happened, not stand around with his mouth agape like that stupid goldfish-

“atsumu.” kita walks up, placing a hand on his shoulder. “there is nothing you could have done to prevent it from happening. as a friend, being here is more than enough.”

atsumu’s eyes sting and he turns, brushing both of them off. he leaves the house and heads to the small garden in the front, hoping to cool off. but there you stand. you must have taken the back door from the kitchen. 

you face the sky, eyes shut as the gentle breeze ruffles the hem of your black clothes. without your red hair ties or accessories, something seems vaguely off. you look tired. so, so tired. atsumu’s indoor slippers slap against the stepping stones as he approaches you, and you turn to look at him.

your eyes are puffy. he says nothing and stands beside you, shoving both hands into his pockets. 

“y’know,” you begin, voice already shaking. “i’m gonna miss her a lot, tsumu.”

you sniffle and bring a hand up to wipe your nose, shoulders beginning to tremble. atsumu looks away so that you won’t see the tears in his own eyes. above him, the same tree rustles in the wind, limbs bending and swaying to the cool rush of air. 

your sniffles turn into sobs as atsumu pulls you into his chest. his arms wrap around you and you drench the material of his dress shirt in tears, wailing and crying about how it’s so unfair that she, of all people, had to go. 

it hurts. it hurts, hurts, hurts, to see you cry, and to have lost someone so kind hearted and loving. 

atsumu holds you tighter, thinking that maybe if he tries hard enough, he cantake on some of your pain and lessen your burden. the both of you stand in that cold, cold wind, tears falling unceasingly.

atsumu hopes that if he isn’t the one to mend your broken heart, that he can help ease the ache — even if it’s just a little bit.


	6. warm scarf, warm heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: @miyasangel

“tsumu?” you say, surprised to see the male standing underneath the streetlamp.

the tip of atsumu’s nose is pink despite how much he tries to warm it up with his fingers. the weather has just begun to turn cold, and leaves on trees have turned various shades of orange and red. 

“ri-chan!” he pipes up, eyes widening ever so slightly. he hurries over to where you stand by the school gate. 

“what are ya doing here?” you ask incredulously and give atsumu a small smile. “didn’t your club end an hour ago?”

“i was waitin’ for ya. it’s dark, can’t have ya going home alone.”

atsumu relishes in the way you throw your head back, a quiet tinkle of laughter lighting up your face. it’s refreshing to see you happy since he knows it’s been hard for you to take care of yourself ever since your grandma passed. nowadays, you often have dinner at the miya’s home at their mother’s urging. 

“let’s get going then.” you shoulder your bag and the both of you begin to walk towards the bus stop a short distance away.

it’s is quiet, save for your shoes crunching any fallen leaves on the ground. it’s hard to believe it, that it won’t be long till atsumu and you will be graduating from high school. he tries not to think too much about the few months he has left. 

the bus stop is a simple shelter with a flickering led light illuminating the area. it’s so dark out already that atsumu thinks that it might be nine in the evening. 

“whew, it’s getting cold already, isn’t it?” you say, rubbing both your hands together and blowing on them in a bid to warm them up.

atsumu unwinds his scarf from around his neck without question. you let out a surprised noise as he begins to wrap it around you instead, fluffing it up and making sure it doesn’t slip off of your shoulders.

“make sure to take care of yourself, ri-chan. it’ll be bad if ya fell sick.” he pinches your nose and in response you yelp, swatting at his hand. 

“tsumu!” you protest as you rub your nose.

atsumu gazes fondly at you, hand hovering as if to grab a hold of you. his mouth opens, as if to say something, but he shuts it and lets his hand fall back to his side. not now, he thinks. not now. only when you’re ready.

“thank you for the scarf,” you mumble, seeming embarrassed. 

for the next few minutes you talk about school, work, and what could dinner possibly be before the bus arrives. the both of you share a double seat, and you have your hands crossed over your bag on your lap. a cherry keychain dangles from the zipper. atsumu wishes he could hold them, kissing away the cold on every fingertip.

osamu eyes the scarf when you and atsumu return home. he says nothing, though, only a short statement about curry for dinner. atsumu whoops as he sheds his jacket and literally bulldozes through the house.

“stop it, ya pig! we’ll eat together when it’s done!” osamu yells as atsumu tries to grab a spoonful of curry from the pot, and shoves at his head, which unfortunately hits a cupboard. the look in atsumu’s eyes are murderous.

you laugh from behind, hands clutching your sides at the twins’ antics. they pause. atsumu looks over at you as you giggle and call them dumb, trying to suppress your laughter which only turns into uncontrollable chuckles. he doesn’t think being called ‘dumb’ has ever felt so good. 

it takes you a good, long while to finally calm down, and by then your cheeks hurt. osamu finally serves dinner and the three of you sit around the table, munching away.

the scarf is hung up by the front door where pairs of shoes are neatly arranged in the genkan. with warm curry, you, and maybe his stupid brother, atsumu thinks that this might just be home.


	7. under the cherry mistletoe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: @miyasangel

the delicious smell of fried chicken fills the house, while the television blares a late night comedy show that no one’s paying attention to. 

“samu! ya cheater!” 

curled up by the kotatsu table, a small pile of presents lay on top to be opened. osamu grabs atsumu by the hair in retaliation and throttles the poor male by his head.

“a cheater?! say that again, liar!”

suna chuckles to himself and films the entire scene. you wonder how much space he actually has on his phone. you hold a mug of hot chocolate with both hands, warming your cold fingers as you blow steam off of the top.

“stop fighting already, let’s open our presents,” you chide.

atsumu glares one last time at osamu, sticking his tongue out childishly. 

“cheater.”

“liar.”

you can’t believe this feud is all because osamu had won in ‘scissor paper stone’ and atsumu has to open his presents last. you shush them one more time before they finally shut up. osamu reaches to grab the first present lying before him and rips it open.

what did you get for him? atsumu is restless in his seat, and keeps elbowing osamu to open his presents faster so that he can get to his own. 

wrapping paper litters every exposed corner of the living room. osamu receives a bunch of cooking utensils and a cookbook, suna a pair of new headphones, while you now possess a fluffy hoodie and a star pendant necklace (the necklace is from atsumu, who grins like a cheshire cat the entire time you gush over how cute it is).

finally, it’s atsumu’s turn. he grabs the smallest box first and picks at the scotch tape, before deciding it's too much work and just tears it off. a phone case emerges, but when he turns it around, there’s a huge [fake sushi](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=https%3A%2F%2Fi.pcmag.com%2Fimagery%2Flineupitems%2F05hSGhb5oIWlnVSAp0WTaA3.1569506201.fit_lim.size_1050x578.jpg&t=NGZiMDMyZTM2ZjkxNjJjOTQzZGVkMGE0OTgxMWE4YTU4YWM5OGY1YyxmOTk4ZWYxYjE2YTg3OWZmZmY0N2U5MWQwNjM3YjgxNDkwMTJmNjcy&ts=1611669845) on the back. atsumu throws it at osamu’s head as suna howls with laughter. 

his heart pounds as he opens the next one — is it from you or suna? out pops a pack of boxer briefs, all printed with atsumu’s face on them. suna cackles as he gets yelled at, while atsumu’s face is beet red. you giggle from behind your hands.

finally, the last present must be from you. atsumu isn’t really expecting much, but he hopes that you’ll give him something special — something that osamu and suna would definitely get jealous about. 

carefully this time, he picks at the decorative tape until it peels away. atsumu pulls out a knitted scarf. it’s black with accents of mustard yellow, and soft to the touch despite some puckers here and there. 

“i hope ya like it, tsumu! i made it myself and it isn’t perfect, but you’re always lending me your scarf so i thought i’d make ya one,” you explain.

atsumu’s face turns pink as he holds the scarf in his hands. made by you; just for him. he thanks every god above for this glorious moment and immediately wraps it around his neck, burying his face in it to hide his blush. you laugh, reaching over to ruffle his hair. atsumu sinks even deeper into the soft material.

“come on, let’s go get the chicken, samu. i’m hungry,” suna tugs on osamu’s sleeve, and the both of them get up to head towards the kitchen.

the television plays an ad for cup noodles. you inch closer to atsumu, reaching forward to pull the scarf down so that you can see his face. embarrassed, he looks away.

“hey, tsumu?” you say softly. “i have one last gift for you.”

atsumu’s heart hammers against his ribcage and he shifts uncomfortably in his seat. you’re getting nearer by the second and- oh, not now! he’s not ready! not now! he has to sit on his hands to prevent himself from pushing you away. atsumu screws his eyes shut, and…

“merry christmas, tsumu.” you gently plant your lips on his warm cheek.

atsumu’s eyes fly open and he finds you eyeing him cheekily, holding up your cherry keychain above both of your heads.

“i couldn’t find mistletoe.” you frown. “so this had to do.”

atsumu doesn’t think his face can get any warmer. you... huh? mistletoe? kiss? him? he tries to speak, but only finds himself stammering over his words. 

“now for samu and sunarin’s turn,” you grin, getting up.

hold on. samu and sunarin? 

“wait, ri-chan, no!” atsumu cries out, almost falling flat from how quickly he struggles up, but you’ve already darted into the kitchen.


	8. entrance exams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫: @reddriot
> 
> 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: inspired by a piece of art i found on instagram (which is now gone from my saved and liked… idk what happened to it) of atsumu and osamu eating cereal on the kitchen floor at 3am talking about life 
> 
> 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: food

christmas comes and goes, followed by the new year. you’re more focused on your university entrance exams, however, so the passing days mean nothing other than the fact that you have less time to study.

atsumu’s pretty relaxed in comparison — he has that national youth volleyball team position waiting for him once he graduates. osamu and suna, on the other hand, plan to go to university, so they’re in the same boat as you.

“ri-chan, take a look at yer work again.” atsumu pats your shoulder. 

“don’t wanna,” you whine, holding your head in your hands. “‘m so tired, tsumu! i hate studying so much!”

atsumu glances at the clock on his phone. it’s 2am, really too late for anyone to be productive right now. you crumble onto the table and let your heavy eyelids close. he feels bad, feels bad that while everyone is struggling so much, he’s the one being all free and easy.

“hey,” he mumbles. “come on. let’s take a break. ya won’t be able to study much now.”

“but i have… like, five more days till exams!” you cry out.

“even more reason why ya should be resting right now. yer always all about that ‘good mindset’ before exam shit, come on! let’s go grab a snack,” atsumu urges.

you whine all the way downstairs about how snacking at night isn't particularly healthy, but he pretends not to hear you. you sit down on the floor of your empty kitchen while atsumu pours out two bowls of cereal (that’s all you have in your fridge) and hands one to you.

the both of you sit in silence, slurping and crunching away before the cereal gets too soggy. it’s dark — atsumu hadn’t bothered to switch on the lights. you can still manage to make out vague shapes with the street light that pours in through the windows.

“hey, tsumu?” you whisper, as if afraid anyone else would hear you.

“hmm?” he replies, mouth full of cereal milk.

you hear a car whizz past outside. silence descends upon the house as you cradle your grandma’s favourite soup bowl in your hands. everything — everything has happened too fast for your liking. 

you’ve blinked once and from playing volleyball in the miya twins’ front garden, you’re suddenly a highschool graduate going onto university (well, hopefully). was life ever supposed to pass this quickly? next, you’ll be stuck in an office job, forgetting childhood promises made with looped pinkies and gummy grins or realising that shaving bits of yourself to fit into society’s glass slipper never really brought you happiness at all. 

you lean your head against atsumu’s shoulder. it’s too much for you to think about at 2.30am. he stiffens a little, but doesn’t push you away. you close your eyes. 

you don’t answer him, slowly dozing off. atsumu doesn’t bother to ask you if you’re awake. he takes the bowl from your hands and sets it down on the floor, letting you file away your worries one more time. 

to golden sodium lights and the quiet hum of your refrigerator, he, too, falls asleep.


End file.
